Minwax Red Mahogany vs Varathane Cabernet
Minwax Red Mahogany is a deep warm red-brown for traditional mahogany looks; Varathane Cabernet leans further toward a wine red.
Pick Red Mahogany for doors, banisters and formal furniture where a classic mahogany tone is the goal.
Pick Cabernet for a statement piece where a visible wine-red is the point.
How close are they?
Delta-E (perceptual color distance) between Red Mahogany and Cabernet is 8.2 (a clearly distinguishable difference once you see them next to each other).
Side by side
| Red Mahogany | Cabernet | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand and line | Minwax Wood Finish | Varathane Premium Fast Dry |
| Color code | 225 | |
| Stain type | oil | oil |
| Hex (approx.) | #5C2A22 | #5A2A2E |
| Lightness (L*) | 24 | 24 |
| Undertone | deep warm red-brown | deep wine-red brown |
Red Mahogany is the lighter of the two by about 0 points of lightness on a 0 to 100 scale, so Cabernet will hide more of the wood's own grain and color on the same board. Hex values are on-screen approximations of each published swatch; confirm on a test board of your own wood before committing.
How each behaves on pine, oak, maple and cabinets
Pine
Red Mahogany: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Red Mahogany (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Cabernet: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Cabernet (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Oak
Red Mahogany: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Red Mahogany unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Cabernet: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Cabernet unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Maple
Red Mahogany: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Red Mahogany blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Cabernet: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Cabernet blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Cabinets
Red Mahogany: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Red Mahogany can lap-mark where one panel overlaps the next during application; wipe fast and work one door at a time to keep the color even.
Cabernet: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Cabernet can lap-mark where one panel overlaps the next during application; wipe fast and work one door at a time to keep the color even.